Ranger's Challenge
by jazdia
Summary: Ranger's company is asked to provide security for a family with an autistic child. Usual security measures do not apply. Based upon my own experiences with my own son and family. *warning* No smut or language, but there are difficult scenes.
1. Chapter 1

Ranger's Challenge

We were driving to a house to set up a security system that was supposed to be a challenge. Ranger asked me to come along, since I was between skips and needed to pay the rent yesterday. I'm Stephanie Plum, a bond enforcement agent and sometimes part-time employee for Rangeman Securities, which is owned by Ranger. Ranger is also my best friend and mentor, and someone I'd love to be more to, but he doesn't "do" relationships.......

We stopped in front of a nice house, with a good sized yard in front and back. Bigger than my parents house, but not a mansion. The door is opened by a woman who looks to be in her early forties, with blue eyes and wavy reddish brown hair. She's 5'3", a little overweight, but could give my office manager, Connie Rosselli, competition in a wet tee shirt contest. She looks tired, but her eyes sparkle with interest at the same time.

"Mrs. Woods? I'm Carlos Manoso, and this is my associate, Stephanie Plum. I understand you have a security challenge for my company?" Ranger asked.

"Come in, come in," she said with a slight accent, ushering us into the hallway and into the living room. Moving boxes are scattered here and there. "Would you like anything to drink? Some iced tea?"

"Thanks, that would be nice," I replied. Ranger just shook his head no as he settled on the couch next to me.

"Would you like sugar or lemon with it?" she said over her shoulder as she walked into the kitchen.

Ranger gave me a small smile as I answered, "some sugar would be nice, thanks."

She came back into the room with a tray on which sat two large glasses of tea and a green sugar bowl and a spoon. "Help yourself to the sugar. I drink my tea plain, but strong." She sat down on the loveseat and took a sip of her drink.

I took a sip of my tea, and added two more spoonfuls of sugar. She wasn't kidding when she said it was strong!

Ranger twitched his lips, and then addressed his client, "So, Mrs. Woods, how can we help you? You didn't give much information over the phone when you called."

"Well," she started, putting her hands in her lap, "as you might be able to tell, my family and I have just moved into this house. Actually, I'm here ahead of them, getting the house ready, while my husband is finishing up at his other job. My husband is an engineer and works at home sometimes. I'm not exactly certain what he does, but he does have Top Secret Security Clearance."

Ranger nodded his head. "Understood. But, that's not exactly the challenge, is it?"

She shook her head. "No, not exactly. We also have 3 kids, an 18 year old daughter and two boys, 15 and 13. The challenge is our 15 year old, who is autistic."

"Ahh." Ranger sat back on the couch. "We've installed security systems for families before, but I understand that autistic kids require more than the normal care."

"Definitely." She looked like she wanted to laugh. "The problem, or challenge, is that we not only want to keep intruders out, but keep our son in, without our home becoming a prison for the other two kids. You see, he likes to escape, and is very quick to find a way to get out before we're even aware that he is gone."

"Well, window and door chimes wil help with that, "Ranger explained. "We can install keypads throughout the house so that you will know which doors and windows are opened."

She shook her head again. "It might work. The only problem with that is that he is very smart and might figure out how to turn the keypad off. If it is key activated and he doesn't have the key, he may get upset and break the keypad. He's very strong."

I had a feeling that that would be an understatement. I glanced at Ranger, who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"So, what type of security system would you like installed?" he asked.

"Well, um," she seemed nervous for the first time, "what I would really like is for you, or someone from your company, to spend a couple of days, and possibly nights, with him to figure out the best way to keep him and others safe." She sat forward on the chair. "I realize that this is unusual, but, quite honestly, so is my son." She looked anxiously at Ranger.

He thought about it for a few seconds, and then answered, "I think we could handle that. Does he have a schedule that we need to keep?"

"Not yet. He and the rest of the family will be here on Saturday, and he will be starting at his new school on Monday. Would it be possible for someone to be here on Saturday until he goes to school?"

I was reviewing the conversation in her mind. "I have a question. What do you mean by keeping others safe?"

Mrs. Woods sighed. "My son has actually been in a residential treatment center for the past couple of years, learning to control his temper. He's doing much better now and doesn't react like he used to, but I'm not certain how he'll feel in a new environment. What may help to understand is to say that he has the maturity level of a 5 year old in a teenager's body. He's almost 6'. And, his intelligence is all over the place. He can figure out locks and ways to escape if he's determined enough, but he has no thoughts about safety. He will run into a street of cars without a second thought. And, he's fast, faster than you'd think because of his size. He even has had surgery on both legs and was fast with both legs in casts."

Ranger nodded. "And, the safety part?"

"Before he went into the residential home, I feared for my life at times. He came after me with a shovel one time, sent several teachers to the emergency room, came after one teacher with a pair of scissors." She opened her hands to us. "It got to the point that I had to call the police to protect myself until my husband came home if he became too agitated." She sadly smiled. "He listens well to men, especially his father, but he was becoming too hard to handle even for him."

"Wow," I said. "That must have been hard."

"Yes, it was," she admitted. It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But, it did give time for my husband and me to pay attention to our other two children and for us to have a "normal" family life. But, our family is not complete without our son, and I'm excited about having him back home. Our daughter will be in her first year of college at Rutgers, so we moved here to be closer to her. I just hope that you can help us."

I looked at Ranger. He smiled. "I'll have to see who would be available for overnights and who has experience with special needs children. Does he have any interests that we should know about that would help?"

She smiled. "Animals. Dinosaurs. Dragons. Reptiles. Bugs. His favorite television channel is Animal Planet, his favorite movies are 'Jurassic Park' and 'Aliens v. Predator'."

Ranger was still smiling. "I think there's several people on staff who have similar interests. I'll see if they would be interested. What time is your family coming tomorrow?"

"About 5 p.m. Depends on how the drive is. I can call when I have a better idea." Mrs. Woods said.

"Do that, and I'll have someone here."

She smiled. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to us."

Ranger shook her hand. "We'll be able to discuss plans and prices as soon as we know what will be needed."

She walked us to her door and waved as we drove away.

"What do you think, Ranger?" I asked him. "Do you think Rangeman can help them?"

"Babe, I hope so."

Word count: 1376.


	2. Chapter 2

Ranger's Challenge

Chapter 2

(Author's note: April is Autism awareness month. Janet Evanovich owns her characters, I'm just borrowing them. The rest is mostly from my life.)

When I got back to my apartment, I went to my laptop and typed "autism" into Google. I found a website for the Autism Society and did some research. It surprised me to find out that one in one hundred and ten kids is diagnosed with some form of it, from mild to severe. I wondered where Christopher Woods fit into the spectrum. I've been hearing about kids in Chambersburg, also known as "the Burg", where I grew up, being diagnosed with it, but I didn't know much about it. Ranger had asked me if I would want to help out with the research on what type of security system would be best for the Woods' son, and I told him that I would. Ranger paid well, I needed the money, and while I don't usually like being around kids much, I thought it would be better than rolling around in garbage like I usually did. It had to be easier than catching skips.

I woke up in the morning. It was harder for me to go to sleep at night since Rex, the one male in my life I could always depend on, passed away. It was sudden, even though he had lived much longer than the usual two year life expectancy. Rex was my hamster. I had thought about getting another pet, but wasn't ready to share my life with anyone else yet. But, I missed hearing his wheel turning in the night.

Ranger called and told me to meet him and Hal at the Woods' house at 5:15. The dad, Michael, and two sons, Christopher and Frank were on schedule. Hal had a younger brother with Down's syndrome, plus he was built like a stegosaurus, so he volunteered for the first shift with Christopher.

We were waiting in the driveway when the family arrived. Mrs. Woods was watching anxiously, pacing back and forth, phone in hand in case there was a delay. When the Chevy Traverse pulled into the driveway, she ran to the car and opened the back door. She pulled out a tall, curly blonde teen and gave him a hug. "Christopher! I'm so glad to see you here!"

Her husband pulled her to him and gave her a hug. "Well, hello to you, too!" He grinned. She gave him a kiss and smiled. "Good trip?" He nodded.

"Christopher did well. So did Frank." The other teen came to her side and also gave her a hug. He was almost as tall as his brother, but his hair was straight blonde. In his hand, he held a portable cage.

I said to myself, "**Please, please, don't tell me that's what I think it is.**" Unfortunately, it was. Frank was holding a cage with two hamsters in it.

"They did really well on the trip," he said to his mom. "They slept most of the way, and Christopher was really gentle when he petted them."

I peeked into the cage. There were two small hamsters on opposite sides. Their eyes were open and they were sniffing at the New Jersey air. I tapped the side, and they looked up at me.

Mrs. Woods looked at me. "These are Frank's hamsters. He probably needs to get them inside, but he can introduce you to them later if you like." She then turned to Ranger and introduced him to Christopher. Her son was looking around, not really looking at the people. Then, he saw Hal. His eyes widened and he moved his right hand up, palm down, arm bent at the elbow. His mom looked at his arm, and then looked at Hal. Her eyes twinkled. "No, Christopher, this is Hal. He's not a dinosaur. He's just really big. You're going to be close to that big soon, too."

I looked at Ranger and smirked. I knew that I wasn't the only one who thought of Hal as a Halosaurus!

Mr. Woods shook hands with Ranger and looked at his boys. "Time to go inside our new home. Grab your bags and go inside." Ranger, Hal and I each grabbed 2 bags, Frank had his hamsters, and Mrs. Woods guided Christopher to the back of the car and handed him a bag and then took his hand.

"This way, Christopher," she said. She led him into the house. When they got inside, she turned to him and asked him if he wanted to see his new room. He nodded, and they went upstairs.

Ranger introduced Hal and me to Mr. Woods. "He is a tall boy. He's only 15?"

Yes, Mr. Woods replied. "I'm the short one in the family at only 6'. My younger brother is 6'4", and our dad is 6'9"."

"That's a tall family," I said. "Your son is almost tall enough to be a Merry Man when he is older."

"Merry Man?" He looked confused.

"That's what I call Ranger's employees. Sometimes, they have had to follow me around on the job." I shrugged.

"What is your job, then?" He asked.

"Bond Enforcement Agent for my cousin Vinnie, as well as computer researcher for Rangeman Security."

Mr. Woods looked at me. "Sounds exciting." He turned to Ranger. "I understand you installed a basic security system this morning."

Ranger nodded. "Door and window sensors and three keypads, one here by the front door, one by the garage door, and one at the top of the stairs."

"Are there panic buttons anywhere?" he asked.

Ranger nodded again. "All three keypads have a panic button."

"How long will it be before someone comes if the panic button is pushed?"

Ranger said, "About 10 minutes. We can call the authorities if someone is needed sooner. Why don't I show you what's been installed in your son's room?"

Mr. Woods nodded and led the way upstairs.

All this talk about panic buttons was making me nervous.

We turned to the right and went to the room on the right side. Christopher was in his room, touching everything. There were dinosaur, dragon, and fish posters on the walls. There was one window in the room. I opened it up and looked around. This was not a window to climb out of.

Mrs. Woods looked out to the ground. "I didn't know if I should give him a room with an easy way out or not. I know that's he's going to try to get out. It's just in his nature. And, I don't want him hurt. But, I didn't want to make it easy, either."

I went across the hall and opened Frank's door. Frank was hovering over a larger hamster cage, watching the two of them scurry around. He saw me looking at his hamsters. "This one is Harry and this one is Spot." Spot had a stripe running down his back.

"Why is he called Spot?" I wanted to know.

"I wanted to have a dog, but we had to wait until we moved to see which one Christopher would work best with." He looked sad.

"I had a hamster. His name was Rex. I wasn't able to have a dog in my apartment and he was a perfect pet." I sniffed. "He just passed away a week ago."

Frank looked at me. "I'm sorry he died. I don't know what I'd do without mine. That's one of the reasons I have a lock to my bedroom door. I have to lock it when I'm out of it so that Christopher won't come in and accidentally kill them."

"Why would he kill a hamster?"

Frank shrugged. "He doesn't know his own strength. He loves animals, but he holds on too tight. When he was at the hospital, he found a baby rabbit. Everyone was telling him to put it down and he got so nervous, he tore it in half. We all cried after that, even him. He doesn't cry much. That's why we have to be careful about a dog. It can't be too little, but it can't be too mean, either. I don't know if we're ever going to get one." He looked at his hamsters. "That's why I have to be real careful."

I nodded. I was beginning to understand that life with an autistic child was more difficult than I imagined.


	3. Chapter 3

Ranger's Challenge – chapter 3

Author's Note – Thanks for the reviews so far. It helps to know that others are interested in the story line. Our middle child is still at the residential treatment school after almost 3 years. At his most recent monthly review, I asked about a plan for him coming home, and was told that we could start thinking about it, but it's still months away. Again, JE owns her characters. I'd really like to have the Merry Men available in real life for our son, though.

I looked out of Frank's window. There was a tree limb close by, but not easy to reach. There was a good sized drop on this side of the house, too. I could see the patio set up with chairs and a grill, with a large hammock in the back. It looked like a nice backyard to relax in. The fences were 8 feet high. There was a large tree in one corner.

"So," I started, wondering what else to say to Frank. "Are you happy to have your brother back home?"

"Oh, yes! It was hard to have him gone." Frank smiled. "No matter what, he's still my brother."

"It looks like your mom pays a lot of attention to him. Is that hard?"

"Sometimes." He shrugged. "But, she pays attention to me as well and to our sister. Marie, our sister, wants to be an actress, but Dad said she had to have a fallback degree. They didn't want her to be so far away, so we moved from Texas to be close to her. So, we get attention. Marie was hoping she'd be able to go out on dates in college." He made a goofy face. "Dates!"

"Didn't she go out on dates before?"

"Not really. We lived in a small town and most everyone knew Christopher." He got up and went to his door. "I want to explore some more. This is my first time in this house."

I thought that living in the Burg was hard. I was used to being fodder for the gossip mill, especially my love life, or lack of. I had been married once before, but that didn't end of well. I've been engaged since then, but neither my boyfriend, Joe Morelli, a Trenton detective, nor myself were ready to make a commitment to each other. We've been off and on together so many times, we've lost count. We do love each other, but so far not enough to actually get married.

And, then there's Ranger. I love him as well. And, wonder of wonders, he loves me, too. He's told me so, many times, both verbally and by actions. But, he's also told me that he's not ready to be in a relationship, that his life is too dangerous.

So, in the meantime, I spend my time with both of them as I can, mostly professionally. And, I live my life as I can. I've been feeling ready for a change, but I don't know in what direction. I've been looking at the Woods' house, and it looks like I'd want my home to look. And, they've only been in the house for what, two weeks? I've lived in my apartment for 4 years. Of course, I've had it firebombed twice, but still.

Maybe observing another family will help me make some decisions. And, what I've observed so far is that no matter how crazy I feel that my life is, there are others who have a much harder life. I've had crazies after me, been kidnapped, and almost died more times than I would like to admit. But, I've never had to worry about those I love trying to hurt me.

I walked across the hall back to Christopher's room. Mr. Woods was sitting next to Christopher on his bed. The room was blue and seemed very calming – except for the model T-Rex that looked life-like in the corner. Christopher jumped up and started flapping his hands a few times.

Mr. Woods explained," Christopher is excited to be here. We've been preparing him for months for coming home." He grinned. "We're all excited about having him home."

I walked over to Christopher and introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Stephanie. Do you like your room?"

He glanced at me but didn't respond.

"Christopher, say hi to Stephanie," Mr. Woods said.

Christopher turned and really looked at me with his blue eyes. "Hi." He waved. His voice was a high whisper.

"Christopher, use your man voice."

"Hi." This time, his voice was almost as deep as Tank's, Ranger's second in command at Rangeman.

"Do you like your room?" I asked again.

"Yessss." He nodded.

I looked over at his dad. "Christopher can say some words, but it's hard for him." He explained. "He knows sign language and will talk as he signs. Sometimes it's easier to understand him when he signs."

I repeated the sign that he had made in the driveway. "What does this mean?"

"Dinosaur," Christopher said. He laughed. He looked at Hal, who was standing in the corner. "No dinosaur."

Then, he walked out of his room. Mr. Woods was on his feet in an instant. "I guess it's time to explore the rest of the house," he said.

Christopher was at Frank's door, but I had locked the door on my way out. Next, he went down the hall to the other two bedrooms. Both of those doors were locked as well. He then went to the hall bathroom. There was a small window over the toilet, but he was too big to crawl out of that. He looked at the toilet and pulled down his pants.

"Oops!" I backed out.

"Sorry about that," Mr. Woods was at the top of the stairs. "He doesn't have any modesty." He closed the door and waited a minute. When he heard the toilet flushing, he opened the door and turned to his son. "Christopher, say that you're sorry."

He moved his right hand in a circular motion on his chest. "Sorry." Then, he giggled. He went down the stairs and turned towards the kitchen, with the rest of us following. He opened every cabinet door and drawer. He opened the refrigerator door and stared for a few seconds. His mom came up to him. "Dinner's almost ready, Christopher. Can you help set the table?"

He nodded. His mom showed him where the plates & silverware were. "How many people will eat?" She asked him. He looked around the room.

"Seven."

Ranger, who had been walking around the house and property, said," Nothing for me, thanks. I'm going to leave Hal here overnight. Steph, what would you like to do?"

"I think I'm going to stay for a little longer. I can have my dad pick me up when I'm ready to leave."

"No, I'll have a car dropped off for you." He smiled. "Enjoy your first night home together," he said to the Woods.

Mrs. Woods walked him to the door. "Thanks again for all of your help so far."

She came back to the kitchen and brought out steaks to the table. There were also baked potatoes, green beans, corn and rolls. Everyone started to eat, but Christopher was finished within 5 minutes, his brother in 6. That was with their mom telling them to slow down several times.

We could see the chocolate cake sitting on the counter for dessert, but she kept telling Christopher to wait. Thirty seconds would go by, he would point to the cake, and she would tell him to wait until everyone else was finished. After the tenth time of her telling him this, he picked up her fork and tried to feed her! She laughed, held onto both of his hands, looked into his eyes and waited for him to look at her. When he did, she said,"Christopher, you know that you have to wait. Why don't you count to 100, and we should be ready to eat by then, okay?"

He nodded. "Five, ten, fifteen..."

"Christopher!" She looked at me. "To think that his counting by fives was one of the proudest days of my life." She looked back at her son. He laughed. He started again. "One, two, three..."

I was used to rushing to eat a bit at my family's dinner table, so I was ready by the time he got to fifty. His pronunciation was mumbled at times, but he did know his numbers.

He was happy when he ate his first bite of cake, and so was I.

After everything was cleaned off of the table, Mr. Woods looked at his boys. "Want to watch some tv before bed? Or do some more exploring? We can watch Animal Planet."

Christopher said, "Animal Planet!"

I said my goodbyes to the Woods and said that I would be back tomorrow. "He's a great kid."

They thanked me and led me to the door. As I drove home, I thought about what I had seen. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to see more of this family.

Hal's Point of View

So far, everything seemed to be going well. Christopher seemed sharp and strong. He had gone to sleep with no problems and had been sleeping for several hours. I had been sitting in a chair outside of his door. His mom told me that the staff at the residential home he had been at had to keep an eye on him all night. I heard a knock downstairs - it was Cal, my replacement for the night. I greeted him, brought him back upstairs and opened the door to Christopher's room.

Christopher was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. When we last visited with our son, I was looking for things to use in the story. What happened is something I don't plan on using, but used to be a regular occurrence for us – spending time in the emergency room. Our son decided to play with a rattlesnake, and was bitten twice. And did not receive any venom. He has a legion of guardian angels looking out for him – it's the only explanation for him to still be alive.

Again, Janet Evanovich owns her characters, I'm just borrowing.

From previous chapter:

_Hal's Point of View_

_So far, everything seemed to be going well. Christopher seemed sharp and strong. He had gone to sleep with no problems and had been sleeping for several hours. I had been sitting in a chair outside of his door. His mom told me that the staff at the residential home he had been at had to keep an eye on him all night. I heard a knock downstairs - it was Cal, my replacement for the night. I greeted him, brought him back upstairs and opened the door to Christopher's room._

_Christopher was gone._

Hal's Point of View – Continued

I couldn't believe it. He was right here. I was gone for 4 minutes max. Cal and I looked at each other and then separated. I went into the room and he went down the hall. I checked the window. It was closed. I looked under the bed. He wasn't there. Nor was he in the closet. I walked back out and saw Cal returning, shaking his head. The other doors were still locked, and the bathroom was empty.

We stood at the top of the stairs, listening. We both looked at each other when we heard a clinking noise. We went down the stairs and followed the noise to the kitchen.

Christopher was sitting at the dining room table, with the rest of the chocolate cake in front of him.

Cal and I walked up to him. I heard another sound and turned towards it. Mrs. Woods was coming down the hall.

"What's going on?" she asked. She turned on the light and saw her son sitting at the table. She walked up to him, hands on her hips. "Christopher!"

Christopher smiled at her. "Cake."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Woods," I said. "I went downstairs to let Cal inside, and Christopher was gone from his room."

Mrs. Woods looked at Cal. "Nice to meet you, Cal." She turned to Christopher. "Christopher, say hi to Cal. And, say that you're sorry to Hal."

The blonde boy turned to Cal. "Hi." Then, he turned to me and made a circular motion with his hand. "Sorry."

"Christopher, are you supposed to be up?"

"No."

"Are you supposed to be eating cake?"

"No."

"Where are you supposed to be?"

"Bed."

She pointed up. "Then, go to bed in your room."

He looked sad. She went up to him and patted his shoulder. "Christopher, you scared us. I love you, but you need to sleep." She yawned. "And, so do I."

Christopher yawned and got up. He took one more forkful from the cake and then walked up the stairs. Cal went up with him while I spoke with Mrs. Woods.

"I know you said that he was fast, but I really didn't believe it."

"No one does until they've experienced him." She smiled. She put the cake up and cleared off the table. "Christopher has been a challenge for people experienced with other autistic children. He seems to have an awareness of his world that most of us don't have. Would you like to have something to drink or do you need to leave?" She gestured towards the coffee pot.

"Coffee would be nice, ma'am, if you don't mind. I need to update Cal before I leave, and I think he might need some coffee as well."

She started the coffee while I went back upstairs. Cal said that Christopher had gone to the bathroom and then went back to bed. I opened the door and he seemed to be sound asleep in his bed.

Cal looked at me and shook his head. "I would have never believed that someone could sneak past you."

"Neither would I. I didn't hear a thing. Mrs. Woods is making some coffee, and I'll bring some up for you before I leave. You will need it."

He nodded and I went back downstairs.

She asked me to join her at the table. "The coffee should be ready in a few minutes. I understand that you have a brother with special needs."

"Yes, ma'am. Charlie has Down's Syndrome."

"Christopher had classmates with Down's Syndrome before, but I confess, I was too wrapped up in Christopher to learn much."

I smiled. "I can understand. Charlie requires help, but he can do a lot on his own. My parents spent a lot of time with him. I went into the service so that I could make my own way, not worry them more. Last year, they were both killed in a car crash. Someone else was DUI. So, now Charlie is at a small residential home and I see him when I can." I looked up at her. "I know how hard that decision is, to not take care of someone you love and who needs you."

She brushed a tear off her cheek. "Thank you for sharing. I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm also thankful for your service." She stood up and walked towards the coffee pot. "I guess you can understand how dependent you are on others to take care of the bigger things when your life is wrapped up on someone else."

I took a sip of coffee. "Yes, ma'am."

She sighed. "I'll bring the coffee up to Cal. I want to check on Christopher before I go back to bed." She shook her head. "I was hoping he'd sleep through his first night home. I'd love to talk to you more, but I don't know if I would be coherent. I'm not used to having my sleep broken any more."

I nodded, finished my coffee, and left the house.

I did not look forward to writing my report for Ranger.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Again, I don't own the main characters – I'm just borrowing them from Janet Evanovich right now. Just a quick chapter._

Chapter 5

Ranger's Point of View

When I got to the office, I first started reading Hal's report from his time with the Woods. I was very surprised to see that Hal had been unaware of Christopher's sneaking past him. Despite his appearance, he knew about stealth and keeping track of people. Christopher knowing the exact time to disappear was startling as well, even though his mother had warned me. My first concern was how to add to the Woods' alarm system. A phone call to his residential treatment facility would be a good idea as well. Learn from what they knew about Christopher. Keeping people out of a house was something I knew well. Keeping someone in a house without it becoming a prison was going to be a challenge.

I also was doing my own research on autism. There were many opinions on the subject, such as what caused it, if there was a cure. The answer to both was that no one really knew. Some people claimed that it was caused by vaccinations, others said it was strictly genetic. Others claimed that their child had been cured by diet or other medications. Some children developed normally and then regressed, others never spoke. It was a frustratingly complicated disorder, not a disease. And, it was obvious that the parents would be overwhelmed by all that was needed to help their child. And, it touched people from every walk of life. Parents of autistic kids included actors, singers, professional athletes, politicians, policemen, lawyers, and engineers. And, it seemed, only the very rich could afford the complicated therapies that these kids needed. There were few places in the country that could not only handle these children, but make progress as well. The more I learned, the more I was frustrated. I could only imagine how hard it could be to receive the diagnosis of your own child and have to wade through all of this information.

My first practical response to last night was to put in video cameras, so that the interior could be monitored. But, I wasn't certain. Normally, the motion detector would be on, but because Hal was in the hallway, it was disabled. Nowadays, I don't spend time at the clients homes outside of setting up the contract. I may have to spend some time with Christopher myself to get a better idea of what to do to keep this family safe and secure.

I was also curious to see Stephanie's suggestions and reactions. While she didn't spend much time with children in general, she did spend time with her nieces, which included a girl who thought she was a horse. Maybe thinking outside of the norm is what was needed here. While I was optimistic that we could help the Woods, Stephanie was already getting emotionally involved. Her compassion for others is one of the many things that I loved about her. If we weren't able to help this family, if Christopher had to live in a more secure environment, Stephanie would be disappointed.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6. Author's note: Again, not making any money off of this story. This is a glimpse of what every day life is for many people - well, without the RangeMen to help. 

Stephanie's Point of View

I parked on the street next to Woods' house, reaching for the Tasty Pastry box before getting out of the car. Ranger had called me this morning and asked me to go back to the Woods' house when the third shift arrived. I had a feeling that donuts were going to be needed this morning after he reviewed the events of last night.

Mr. Woods answered the door. "Good morning," he said. He looked at the box. "Are those donuts?"

"Yes, from the Tasty Pastry. They make the best donuts around."

"Thank you! I was craving a donut, but we didn't know where to go." He led the way to the kitchen. "Look at what Stephanie brought."

I was greeted with smiles from everyone. Christopher rushed over and tried to grab the box from my hand.

"Christopher!" His dad said.

Christopher stopped. He looked at me and then back at his dad. He said, " please" while making the sign for it. His dad said, "No. Wait until the box is on the table."

When I brought the box to the table, the boys waited until the box was open and took one each. Mrs. Woods had small papers with words scattered about the table. She smiled at me. "Thank you for the donuts. Would you mind later telling me where to shop? I've done some exploring around here, but I still don't know where the best places are yet."

"Sure, no problem. I've lived here all of my life. What are the words for?" I gestured to the table.

Mrs. Woods opened a binder. "I'm putting together Christopher's schedule. He needs a schedule of his day to help things go smoothly. If he knows what is expected, then he behaves better, especially if he has rewards scheduled regularly."

"What kind of rewards?"

"Well, he likes going for walks and looking things up on the computer. He also gets healthy and sometimes not so healthy treats at meal times." She looked at the donuts. "Normally, his breakfast treat is a Pop Tart, but donuts work, too."

I grinned. "Donuts are a treat for me, as well. But, I tend to treat myself everyday."

She laughed. "I'd love to treat myself everyday, but I can't afford a new wardrobe every few months."

"I tend to work them off when I have to chase after my FTA's." I grimaced. "But, I end up needing new clothes anyway, because they get ruined." Or caught on fire.

"Well, that's not fun." She pointed to the page. "Do you know of any parks around here that are close by and safe? He likes to go for walks at least twice a day."

I thought about the local parks. "How does he do with water? There are several parks with ponds here. And, there's a few without much but a couple trees and benches."

Mrs. Woods looked at her husband, who shrugged. "How deep is the water?"

"I don't really know. Just don't try to feed the ducks." I thought back to one of the most embarrassing moments in my life, when I tried to feed one duck and the rest became very angry.

Mr. Woods reached for the map on the counter. "Can you show us on the map some places that would be large enough to walk about thirty minutes, without too many distractions?"

I pointed to several that I thought would work. "If you want, we can go to one today. I'm supposed to babysit my nieces this afternoon, and I usually take them to the park to burn off some energy."

The Woods nodded. "That sounds good," Frank said. He poked at Christopher. "You want to go to the park?"

Christopher smiled. "Yes." He started walking to the front door.

"Christopher! Wait. We need to plan your day first." His mother held up the notebook. "What do you do first, before we go to the park?"

Christopher walked back to the table and looked at the words. He picked up "Eat Breakfast" and looked at the clock. He then placed the scrap into the 9:00 block. After looking at the words some more, he found "Go to Park" and put it in the next spot. Pointing at the clock, he grabbed his mother's hand and started pulling her to the door.

Ram, the current Rangeman, blocked the door before they reached it. He held his hands open. Christopher ducked under Ram's arms, but Ram was able to reach around and block him again. Mr. Woods was close behind his wife, trying to help her from being dragged. Once Ram had Christopher blocked, Christopher let go of his mom's hand and pushed against Ram. I knew how strong the Merry Men were and was surprised to see Ram pushed back a foot.

Mr. Woods pulled his wife behind him and then stepped towards his son. "Christopher. Stop."

Christopher pushed against Ram again. Ram turned Christopher around and locked him in a restraining hug. Mr. Woods tried again to get Christopher's attention. "Christopher!" Christopher looked up and then looked back at his mother. She was holding onto her arm and looked like she was fighting off tears. I walked over to her and helped her into a chair. Mr. Woods walked towards his son slowly. Ram was still restraining him.

"Do you need a time out? Or can you calm down?" His father asked. Christopher was shaking his head. Mrs. Woods called out, "Deep breath." Christopher stopped struggling for a minute and took a deep breath. His father stepped closer and praised him and then asked him again about a time out. Ram loosened his hold by a fraction and Christopher nodded at calming down. Mr. Woods said, "Let's go to your room for 15 minutes while you calm down, okay?"

Christopher nodded and walked up the stairs with both Ram and Mr. Woods. His father glanced back at his wife, who nodded as well.

"What just happened?" I asked Mrs. Woods.

"That," she sighed, "was close." She tilted her head back and rolled her shoulders, giving a slight hiss after moving her right shoulder.

I went to the freezer and brought back an ice pack. I waited while she positioned it. "What do you mean, close?"

She closed her eyes. "One of the issues the school worked on the most was his aggressiveness. Once he would reach a certain point, it was impossible for us at home to calm him down without medication. At the residential school, they would take him to the Quiet Room, where staff would wait until he was calmed down on his own, without medication. He used to have to go several times a day, and gradually he didn't need to go except maybe once a month." She glanced over at me. "This," she gestured, "was easy compared to what I dealt with before he went to the school. It was also what kept him from coming home for so long."

I just looked over at her. I had been amazed at how quickly the situation had gotten out of control and then calmed down. "How long did these incidents last before?"

"It would depend on how quickly the medication worked. Sometimes he was so worked up that he wouldn't calm down for almost an hour. We were never given a fast acting emergency medicine, just had to rely on his regular meds. Only the paramedics were able to give him the fast acting medication."

"How often did you call them?"

She looked away as she thought about it. "The paramedics? I only remember twice, and usually that was because he was aggressive at his regular school school. I normally just called the police to help before my husband came home. I don't remember how many times I called them - sometimes it was several times a week, after several weeks of no problems."

I was quiet for a few minutes. "How long was it that he was so aggressive?"

Mrs. Woods said, "He's been aggressive since he was 2. He was dangerous after he turned 10. It was only when he was close to 12 that my husband realized that he was having problems restraining Christopher." She looked at me. "One day, I went to a church across the street from the school for a morning mass. Halfway through the service, an ambulance came by and parked in front of the school. I kept waiting for a phone call, because I thought it was because of Christopher. It turns out that someone else needed the ambulance." She sighed. "I was close to a nervous breakdown. I was always on guard, even when he wasn't around. Every time I let my guard down was when it something seemed to happen, or he would leave the house."

"I can imagine that was nerve wracking."

"It was. But, I have to tell you, the hardest thing in my life was leaving him at the school." She wiped some tears from her eyes. "It was also the best thing I've ever done." She stood up and took a cup and bottle of aspirin down from the cabinets. After swallowing a couple of pills, she continued. "The other two kids received the attention they needed. We were able to go places, do things as a family. Things we were never able to do before, at least not without cutting plans short. I was able to go back to work."

We heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I waited to see what would happen next.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Thanks to all who have commented. It's meant a lot to me to know that I've been able to write a decent story while sharing "my" story as well. I would like to point out that I'm sharing what I've experienced with my son's autism. Just like "normal" people, autism is unique to each individual. Most children with autism do not give much eye contact. My son doesn't give as much as he should, but he does give more than is "typical". He does not initiate hugs or kisses, but he does accept them. He does not talk except a word here and there, but he does understand most of what everyone else is saying - except for politics! :) Most prefer to live in their own world, and while my son will do that, he does like being around other people. So, please remember that this is what I know, if you know someone with autism or you're reading the main recognition facts for autism and you are confused about the differences.

As always, I don't own the Stephanie Plum characters. I'm not making any money off of them.

Ranger's Challenge

Chapter 7

Previously:

_We heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I waited to see what would happen next._

Ram's Point of View

I hadn't known what to expect of this assignment. Normally, if I was around Stephanie, I would help her catch skips while being her bodyguard. She is Ranger's woman, yet still has attracted more nutcases than even he can keep track of. Then again, I can understand why everyone is attracted to her.

So, I was divided in my thoughts about who I should protect first if there was a threat. Plus, I couldn't see how a 15 year old boy could be a threat. Until he started dragging his mother to the front door and I tried to stop him. On Friday, after Ranger accepted this contract, Hal gave a demonstration of several restraining holds that were used on kids with special needs. I didn't think that I would need to use one. While the kid was close in height to my 6'3", I weighed fifty pounds more than him, and those pounds were pure muscle. I was used to being physically intimidating to most people that we dealt with.

Christopher, however, wasn't intimidated in the least. He ducked under my arms once. After he dropped his mother's hand, he then pushed against me. And, moved me. I knew that I had to change tactics and used one of the restraining holds on him, but even that wasn't easy. This kid was strong. He seemed as if he was wanting to fight, until we heard his mother tell him to take a deep breath. He stopped struggling and the situation was back under control.

I followed Christopher and his father to his room, where he sat while watching the clock. I looked around his room while guarding the door. I knew that this kid didn't have my training in the army. I didn't see any weights. He didn't even look like he had much muscle tone.

Mr. Woods thanked me. When I asked him about Christopher's strength, he shrugged. "Most autistic kids are stronger than they look. They seem to have more adrenaline in their system. One time, it took 5 adults to restrain him when he was sick and in the hospital." He looked at his son. "He was ten at the time."

On the outside, I just nodded. On the inside, I was dumbfounded.

When the 15 minutes was up, Christopher stood up and walked to the door. He made a circular motion with his hand on his chest and said, "please." His father nodded at me, so I moved out of the doorway and followed him downstairs. My shift wasn't even halfway through, but I was already writing my report to Ranger in my head.

Stephanie's Point of View

Christopher came down the stairs, followed by his dad and then Ram. I stood close to Mrs. Woods, who was sitting at the table. She pointed to the chair next to her and Christopher sat down. She moved closer to him and opened his schedule book.

"Okay, Christopher, what do we put down now in your book?"

Christopher looked at the pictures. "Park?"

She shook her head and looked at me. "What time are you meeting your nieces? If you still want us to come?"

"I planned on picking them up at 2:00 and the park is just ten minutes away. You're still welcome to come."

She nodded at me and turned back to Christopher. "So, we'll put 'park' at 2:00."

"Okay."

"But, remember the park is a reward, so you have to be good to go."

"Okay. Be good. Listen."

"Yes, listen." She smiled and looked at her husband.

Mr. Woods sat down on Christopher's other side and looked over the book. "What would you like to do on Sunday mornings? We could watch some more tv, read a book, go into the backyard."

Christopher interrupted. "Back yard!"

His dad smiled. "Okay, back yard. For today, why don't we try that first and then work on your schedule some more?"

"Okay." The family stood up and went out the back french doors. Frank was on the hammock in the corner. He sat up when we all came out and came over to Christopher.

"Come look at the cool hammock, Christopher!" Frank told his brother. "It's like a swing, except you get to lie down."

Christopher lay down on the hammock and moved back and forth a few times. He had a smile on his face, but he looked around the backyard to see what else was there.

In the other corner of the backyard was a small pond with a waterfall. He looked into the pond and then looked back at his mom.

"Do you like the pond?"

He nodded, and then moved his hands in a wavy motion side to side and said "fish."

"Fish?" his mother echoed.

Mr. Woods inspected the waterfall. "This looks better than I thought it would. The waterfall sound is supposed to be calming." He turned towards his son. "We're going to let you choose the fish. Do you play with fish?"

"No."

"Do you touch fish?"

"No." Christopher laughed.

"Okay, then we can get some fish next weekend for the pond."

Frank looked over at his dad. "Me, too?" he questioned.

His dad smiled and said, "you, too."

Ram was scanning the back yard while following Christopher around. I looked towards the gate and saw that it had a padlock on it. It's a good thing that the utility meters are read by computer now, I thought to myself. Christopher went to the gate and pulled at the lock, then looked at his mother.

"Are you supposed to leave the house by yourself?" Mrs. Woods asked him.

"No," he replied.

I kept noticing that instead of telling Christopher the rules, the Woods would question him regarding what the rules were. He did seem to respond well to the questions and would show that he knew the answers. I knew that I never liked being told what to do by my parents when I was a child. Who was I kidding? My mother still tried to tell me what to do. I wondered if being asked would have kept me from rebelling as much as I had. Something for me to think about later.

I asked Mrs. Woods about questioning Christopher.

"Since he doesn't talk much, it was always hard to know if he understood enough, to know the difference between right and wrong. When he was older and speaking more, we just found it easier to ask him if he knew what he was supposed to do. Most of the time, he does know the rules. Once in awhile, he doesn't. This way, if he's close to getting into trouble, we can remind him what the rules are or let him know that what he's doing is not good. We try to not focus on "bad" or "wrong". And, we also try to reward good behavior instead of punishing him." She sighed. "Punishing really didn't work."

"I bet," I smiled.

We stayed outside until lunchtime, when Mrs. Woods called everyone to come back inside. Lunch was similar to dinner the night before, with the boys rushing their eating and their parents telling them to slow down. This time, the meal was fried chicken and dessert was angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries. I would be disappointed when Ranger felt I no longer needed to help out at the Woods' house, because Mrs. Woods was as good a cook as my mother and Ella, Ranger's housekeeper.

It was agreed by the boys to watch Animal Planet until it was time to go to the park. I didn't know what to expect when Christopher met my nieces, especially Mary Alice, who likes to think that she is a horse. I just hoped that the park was safe enough for both of them.

Another Author's Note: If you can't tell, I didn't write this story first and then started posting. I'm posting as I finish a chapter. I'm trying to keep true to the world of Plum as well as to my own experiences. Ranger & Tank should be appearing soon to help with Christopher. Even they will be challenged by him. : ) There have been several men at the residential school where he has lived for the past 3 years that have been close in size to Tank and they were challenged and surprised by my son.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's note: April is Autism Awareness month! I started this story a year ago. I wish I had updated more often. I'm in awe of those of you who can post a chapter a day or even a week. This is just a short chapter to get my muse working again – she went on a serious vacation after Christmas and I had to drag her back just for this short chapter. Anyway, I thought about writing more about Steph & Ranger, but I think I'll leave that storyline to other stories. My "Christopher" is now 16 years old. Thanks to everyone who's left a review. I really appreciate them, and wouldn't mind a few more!

Ranger's Challenge – Chapter 8

Ranger's POV:

I closed my eyes for a minute. Ram just called to report about the morning at the Woods' and their plan to go to the park later. With Stephanie's nieces.

I needed to rethink how to cover the Woods' security this coming week. I was not yet comfortable leaving Mrs. Woods alone with Christopher. The Woods' had advised us that Christopher would test his limits when he came home, and he was certainly doing that. Someone needed to be at their house for at least another week, between the time Christopher came home from school to when Mr. Woods arrived from work.

I looked up the day's schedule on my computer. I needed to send someone else to help out at the park today. Stephanie's priority was her nieces. Plus, she was still wary of going there because of the incident with the ducks during the Abruzzi mess. I still felt a little guilty about not keeping a closer eye on her during that time. But, I did solve that problem.

I was waiting on a call from Washington, D. C., otherwise I would go to the park with them. I enjoy spending time with Stephanie. I also wanted to interact more with Christopher. From what I've learned so far from my research, observation would give me the most information on how to serve the Woods' needs. Christopher went into the residential school in the first place for two reasons: aggression and elopement (running away). There were new types of bracelets that are being used on people with Alzheimers and Autism that would help with the elopement. The family was adamant that drugging Christopher into passiveness was not an option, as he was already on several medications that did help with his behavior.

While I trusted all of my men, there was only one that would be the best. I was going to send Tank.


End file.
